Starts off as a straight forward crime/revenge flick but evolves into a dark look at endemic corruption, and the depths to which a man will sink to save a loved one. The moral of the story essentially boils down to "the mafia is better than you". Oliver Reed seethes with tightly controlled rage as the beleaguered warden, and the Morricone score is excellent, punching up every gritty scene of drama or bloody action.